Blue Fire, Yellow Flames
by Luki Dimension
Summary: It's rather disappointing, Reborn thinks. He was a much cuter toddler the first time round.


_…And I am officially BNHA trash. I've stopped clinging to the side and dived right in._

 _Yesterday, I had a thought that made me laugh for about 2 minutes. It fused with a couple of other ideas I'd had and churned out a reincarnation one shot. Enjoy._

* * *

 **Blue Fire, Yellow Flames**

Todoroki Toya's first word is 'mama.'

Immediately after, he bursts into tears and screams until he passes out. Thankfully, when he wakes up, he seems to have recovered, much to the relief of his parents.

In fact, as of that morning, he became the perfect toddler. He rarely cried, was potty trained in a matter of weeks, and he picked up language at a frightening pace.

His mother was delighted at her little genius, while his father would grin and tell him he hoped his quirk was as strong as his mind.

But when they set him down for the night, Toya would sometimes scramble out of bed and dig out a mirror he'd hidden in his toy box, staring at the red hair and blue eyes, trying to familiarise himself with the face that had became alien the second his mind learned to comprehend words.

It's rather disappointing, Reborn thinks. He was a _much_ cuter toddler the first time round.

* * *

Reborn never thought he'd be grateful for the Arcobaleno curse, but in his new life, it's making things so much easier. Because he's already done the whole adult-trapped-in-a-child's-body adjustment before, and it hadn't been easy. This time around, it's just like putting on an old hat, although having parents that try to regulate his behaviour is a change. He ends up treating them to way he used to treat Tsuna in boss mode. Like they _technically_ have authority over him, but nobody actually expects him to obey.

His mother seems to accept this. His father bursts into flames every time Reborn pisses him off. Which is an interesting development and one Reborn wants to know more about, because some experimenting has proved that while flames still exist in this reality, his father definitely isn't using them.

In this parallel world, flames remain as unknown to most of society, while something called 'quirks' dominate. Crime is at an all time low, while 'hero' is a legitimate career – and the only way the average civilian is allowed to use their quirk.

His father is a hero. Apparently one of the best, and as Toya gets closer and closer to his quirk-date, he makes it perfectly clear that his son is expected to follow in his footsteps.

"A powerful fire quirk" his father, Enji, summarises when the topic comes up. "I had hoped for more of a mutation, but I expect you'll take after me."

His disappointment however, can't be hidden, and when Toya is two years old, he becomes an older brother for the first time in any life.

* * *

Come Toya, meet your sister" his mother had said, when she returned from the hospital. Enji had been grinning when they returned, and Reborn could see why. The little baby girl had a crop of their mother's white hair, but it was interspersed with the odd strand of red from their father. Perhaps the girl's quirk will mutate in the same way.

Reborn has never been a fan of children. But he has always believed in a certain amount of chivalry for women. As such he's grateful his sibling is female, it makes being an older brother so much easier. Finally, he understands why Sasagawa Ryohei had been so over dramatic regarding Kyoko. Fuyumi is adorable. Quiet and sweet, and looks at her parents and older brother like they hung the starts.

At least, she does right up until Toya's quirk decides to show up. He spends an entire day feeling far too hot, and has a moment of absolute dread while holding his little sister's hand in the garden. Seconds after yanking it loose, his hand bursts into searing hot flames, electric blue from the sheer heat.

Fuyumi screams for her 'papa,' and in the chaos that follows – Enji crowing at the sheer power in Reborn's burned hand and his mother consoling his sister – Reborn barely registers that Fuyumi screams for a solid hour, and then doesn't say a word for two days.

* * *

It's nearly a week before Reborn learns of the new development regarding his sister. Between an emergency hospital visit and Enji's 'congratulations-you-might-actually-be-useful' speech, he hasn't had any time alone with her since his quirk activated. His mother doesn't want him anywhere near her until he can control it. A wise, if unnecessary restriction.

When he does get to play with his sister again, he learns she's finally mastered speech, picking it up as fast as he did, and smiles when she looks up from her picture book.

"Toya" Fuyumi says, and Reborn grins, glancing up at the door. When he's certain they're alone, he leans towards her.

"Good job Fuyumi" he says. "But, when we're alone, you can call me Reborn" he says. He fully intends to use that name again, and his adorable little sister deserves to be the first to know. Fuyumi however, just looks at him.

"Re-born?" she repeats, and Reborn smiles.

"Such a quick learner you are, Fu."

Fuyumi shakes her head.

"Chrome" she says, correcting him, and Reborn blinks.

"...Chrome?"

The toddler nods. "Dokooro."

Reborn leans back on his heels, while the girl looks at him with equal shock.

Well, this is unexpected.

* * *

To be fair, it's not like Reborn could have expected other members of Vongola to follow him to this world. Although he regained his memories of a past life, the last few hours leading up to his death are...fuzzy. Chrome had definitely still been alive when he died though, of that he's certain. If anything, he would have expected to run into Tsuna's Sun Guardian, the late Sasagawa Ryohei having died several months before him.

"Boss was a wreck when you died" Chrome-no, Fuyumi, says. "We wanted answers, and I think I found a lead? Yamamoto and Gokudera were following up another when..."

"You can't remember what happened?" Reborn asks, and Fuyumi nods.

"I got to the location and then, everything's all jumbled. The next thing I remember clearly is your quirk activating" she says.

In the end, it doesn't really matter. As much as both of them dearly miss their old world, it's clear they can't get back, and they have new lives to lead. They'll keep an eye out for their former family members, but if they're not here, they're still alive. It's good news no matter what.

At least, that's how Reborn's choosing to see it.

* * *

Fuyumi's quirk comes in when their mother is pregnant with their third sibling. Despite her hair, it's an ice related quirk, and weaker than their mother's. Ironically, adding fire to her quirk had weakened it's potential.

Todoroki Enji is livid. There are fights every other day with Rei, and both children try to make themselves scarce. However it's much harder to Reborn, since with Fuyumi considered a failure, Enji has decided it's time Toya started carrying the family legacy. When he turns six years old, Enji takes him into the garden, and forces him to use his quirk to levels far beyond what is safe.

Reborn is all for pushing past limits, but his skin is _melting_ _._ Dying will is one thing, it's designed to break down barriers. This is actual fire, and his body has built in limitations Enji refuses to acknowledge. His sun flames immediately start working on the worst of the damage, but any respect Toya might have pretended to have for the man who is biologically his father in this life is gone.

As such, when Enji deems the training finished for the day, and orders 'Toya' to go inside and clean up, he corrects him.

"Reborn" he says, forcing his feet towards the house. Enji watches him with a frown.

"Excuse me?" he says.

"My name isn't Toya" Reborn tells him. "It's Reborn."

Enji looks at him, before a hand goes up to scratch the fiery beard. It's such grandstanding Reborn feels sad just looking at him.

"Reborn...like a phoenix rising from the flames" Enji muses. "It's powerful, not bad for a hero name."

"Not a hero name" Reborn corrects. "It's **my** name."

Enji grins. "All right, _Reborn_. But if that's what you want, then you'd better be prepared to work for it."

Reborn grins.

As if there's anything this idiot could throw at him that the World's Greatest can't handle.

* * *

Reborn has suspicions, as does Fuyumi, when their baby brother is born. But both he and his sister hadn't remembered her former life until they'd started learning words. As such, they're forced into a waiting game, to see if Natsuo is someone from another life.

Honestly though, Reborn doesn't need clarification. The first time he'd seen the baby smile while he held him, their parents screaming at each other in the next room, he'd known.

Yamamoto Takeshi had always been good at smiling through misery.

* * *

It's probably a good thing Natsuo has the mind of an adult, because the breakdown of his parents already tense marriage after it became clear he was probably going to take after his mother quirk wise would probably have messed him up.

"It's messed up anyway" says the two year old as they hide in his room, Reborn's flames working with Chrome's in an attempt to keep the former hitman's chin from becoming a mass of scar tissue. "What if I wanted to become a hero anyway?"

He runs a hand through the snow white hair on his head – something that almost guarantees an ice quirk given how Toya and Fuyumi have turned out.

"Do you?" Reborn asks, genuinely interested, because Enji's still training him to within an inch of his life and making it difficult to get time alone in order to study what's left of the underworld in this reality. Whatever illusions Enji is under, Reborn has already decided he's going back to what he knows best – and having another kid he can throw under the training bus could only help.

Natsuo shakes his head.

"No, maybe if Tsuna was here, and wanted to, then...but if I've got another chance, he'd want me to live it my way."

"Baseball?" Fuyumi asks, and Natsuo grins.

"Maybe. Think there are any quirk sports I could play?"

He smile falters.

"Really though, I just want to find Gokudera."

All three of them sober up at that. The youngest Todoroki's memories are as fuzzy at the end as the rest of them, but whereever he and the former right hand had been, he remembers Gokudera falling first.

"Maybe he survived" Fuyumi offers, though her heart really isn't in it. Reborn can appreciate the sentiment – if nothing else, if both Yamamoto and Gokudera have passed on, along with Sasagawa, then Tsuna has been left with only Hibari, Mukuro and Lambo at his back.

It's not his style, but he chooses to hope.

* * *

Reborn isn't too surprised when their mother gets pregnant again. Fuyumi's quirk isn't strong enough for hero work, and Natsuo doesn't even have a streak of red in his hair. Enji wants a kid with both of their quirks, and to get it, he'll pop a whole litter out of Rei if he has to. Their mother is clearly starting to struggle with it, the two adults have barely said two kind words to each other in the last year – he's not even sure how they managed to stand being in the same room long enough to conceive baby no.4.

Regardless, Todoroki Shouto is born two months after Natsuo's ice quirk emerges, and Reborn knows in a heartbeat this kid will be joining him in training the second he turns six, because his hair is split perfectly down the middle. If he doesn't have a fire and ice quirk, Reborn will eat his hat.

Of course, that then begs the question – who is he?

Natsuo is hoping for Gokudera – perhaps his fellow Guardian had only been unconscious and passed on after he did. Fuyumi is choosing to think positively and hope that the baby is no reincarnation, because none of their family have died recently. Reborn decides to wait, because until he learns to talk Shouto is a blank slate, and with his parents flying down two different mentally unsound paths, he needs one competent adult in his life.

* * *

By the time Reborn turns nine, he can say with absolute certainty that Todoroki Enji is a loathsome father. A sadist at heart, Reborn can see the value in the man's training. In fact, had Reborn been a teenager rather than the young child, he'd be willing to say the hero studied from the same play book the hitman did.

But the fact was, biologically, Reborn _was_ a child. And his quirk was viciously powerful. Any sane human being would have realised that training needed to be held back, while they worked on his constitution and physical prowess, before moving onto the quirk. Enji on the other hand, seemed to think powering up the blue flames was the only valuable training to be done, and Reborn was struggling to keep the damage from becoming permanent.

Frankly, the only reason he wasn't covered in burn scars at this point was because his sun flames were working overtime and Chrome was creating skin grafts with mist flames at night. Not that he let Enji know that – flames were something unheard of in this world, and the one trick up his sleeve he wanted to keep hidden until necessary. Ideally, the man would find out about them the split second Reborn _kills_ the hero with them. Sadly, that has to wait, because Reborn doesn't have enough information to survive in this law-focused reality as a child criminal. Removing Endeavour from the equation can't happen until Reborn is at least in his teens.

So until that time, he allows Endeavour to cremate him again, and again, again, while Fuyumi and Natsuo watch their mother and take care of Shouto. It ends up paying off – when Reborn is crawling back from a training session, Natsuo flies into the hall and slams into his brother's chest, immediately grabbing him into a hug.

"Reborn, it's Tsuna!" he half yells, half sobs. "Shouto is Tsuna!"

* * *

It's true. The Tenth Boss of the Vongola has joined the majority of his Guardians in this life, and is currently crying into Toya's shirt.

"R-Reborn" he wails. "I...I missed you so much!"

The older boy awkwardly pats the head of the toddler. In the background, both Fuyumi and Natsuo are also crying, but they're wearing grins that take up their entire face.

"Stop crying Dame-Tsuna" Reborn mutters. "A mafia boss doesn't cry."

"Not a mafia boss" Shouto sniffles, and looks up at his brother with a half smile. "Also, I'm a baby. I'm allowed."

"He's got a point Reborn" Natsuo laughs, walking up to them and grabbing Shouto for his own hug. Shouto happily releases his former tutor to hug his guardian.

"Yamamoto..." he whimpers. "I'm so sorry."

Natsuo hugs him tighter. "I'm sorry we weren't there Tsuna" he says. "We should have been there."

Fuyumi moves in closer, her hand grabbing Shouto's much smaller one as she leans against Natsuo's back.

"Boss...what about the others?"

Shouto's eyes dim, but he collects himself to stare at the two children.

"Hibari was with me, but he was fighting, I think. Mukuro and Lambo weren't around. I sent Lambo back to Italy when you...died. Mukuro's been missing since Chrome fell, but I'm pretty sure he was still alive."

Fuyumi smiles, shoulders relaxing. "That's good."

"What about Gokudera?" Shouto asks. "Or Brother?"

Natsu shakes his head. "We haven't found them."

"Though if you do, you'll probably have to get another nickname for Sasagawa when he shows up" Reborn adds, sitting down on the bed. "People might get confused, all things considered."

"Says the guy already insisting on people calling him Reborn" Fuyumi jokes, and Shouto turns to look at his older brother.

"True...I have two older brothers now..."

Reborn tenses. Shouto looks nervous, but he _knows_ that look in his eye. He learned it from him.

"Dame-Shouto..."

Shouto bits his lip.

"What is it...Reborn-nii?"

Both Fuyumi and Natsuo burst into laughter as Reborn shoots up as if electrocuted.

"No!" he warns. "That will not be a thing!"

"Whatever you say, Reborn-nii" Fuyumi giggles.

"You're such a great brother, Reborn-nii" Natsuo agrees.

Reborn glares at all of them.

"I will burn you all to ash."

* * *

With Shouto's identity assured, the children are becoming desperate to find their other family members, but Enji flat out refuses to let them leave for anything other than school. And Reborn doesn't even get that – Enji is insisting on homeschooling him as to not lose the time commuting that could be used for training.

And when Shouto turns four, Reborn's suspicions come true. Half hot, half cold – his former boss has fire in one hand, and ice in the other. Enji is smug for _weeks._

But that means Reborn has to train even harder, because while their mother is trying to keep Shouto out of training until he's older, Enji fights her every step of the way. By this point, Enji's dominating personality has almost completely shattered their mother, and Reborn's pretty certain the only reason she hasn't grabbed Fuyumi, Natsuo and Shouto and fled is the fact that the No.2 hero would track them down in hours.

He has no illusions that she'd take him. Whether it's due to his hair, his quirk or the fact that he doesn't protest the training, at this point Todoroki Rei looks at her eldest son with the same fear as she does her husband.

It hurts, but Reborn is not a child, and he does care for Rei, in as much as Reborn _can_ care. If avoiding her can give her peace, then he shall.

Of all the decisions Reborn has made since arriving in this world, that is the one he bitterly regrets. Because it turns out, there **is** something Todoroki Enji could throw at Reborn that he couldn't handle.

Being an older brother.

* * *

On Shouto's fifth birthday, Reborn arrives to the training room to find the boy being dragged in by Endeavour.

"Toya, you'll be getting company from now on" their father says. "Shouto's quirk needs a lot of training if he's going to compete with you for the title of number one."

"Hiiee! I'm five!" Shouto yelps. "I don't even know if I'm going to be a hero."

He winces as Endeavour's grip on his arm grows even tighter.

"You will be a hero Shouto" Enji growls. "You were brought into this world for that reason alone. Toya, set alight, you'll be sparring with your brother, so he can see how far he has to go."

Reborn's eyes narrow.

"You want me beat up my defenceless, five year old sibling to within an inch of his life?"

Shouto whimpers, and Toya glares at him.

"Stop whining Dame-Shouto. I refuse."

The younger boy cuts off the sound in shock, and Toya gives him a mocking smile.

"Excuse me?" Enji asks. "That wasn't a request."

Toya crosses his arms.

"He knows nothing. If you want him to improve, how about you teach him something rather than smashing him into the ground."

"Pot calling kettle" Shouto whispers.

"Toya..." Endeavour hisses, and the teens eyes narrow, his hand motioning for Shouto to _get out_.

"That's not my name" he warns, and sets himself alight.

* * *

That interaction would essentially sum up every training session he would with his father after that. Enji would force Shouto into a training session far too intense for his age, and Reborn would intervene. Shouto seemed to find the role reversal somewhat hysterical, but was grateful for the protection. Not that Shouto couldn't have defended himself - he might have the body of a child, but he's got all the memories of the man Reborn trained – but in this life, he shouldn't _have_ to.

Of course, if his father hadn't been so angry at Toya for disobeying him, he might have noticed that Shouto _was_ improving. Because Reborn is still a tutor, and he knows exactly what Shouto can take at this age. It's not his fault his father doesn't have the slightest clue how to teach.

Unfortunately, he'd been so focused on taking the brunt of Enji's actions, that he hadn't been paying attention to their mother at all. She was the good parent, a little broken from Enji's dominance but still the kind yin to Enji's demanding yang.

Which made the scar seared over Shouto's eye all the more impossible to look at.

"Who did this" Natsuo hisses, with a glint in his eye that suggests someone is going to get a sword-sized icicle through their chest. Shouto just looks away.

"It was an accident" he whispers.

"That bastard is a dead man" Natsuo growls. When it appears that he's going to storm off, Fuyumi quickly grabs his shoulder.

"It can't have been our father, he was training Reborn all day" she reminds him. Natsuo frowns, and stares at Shouto in confusion.

Reborn kneels in front of Shouto, shoving sun flames into the scar, although he already knows it's too late to recover the skin. Whoever did it had taken Shouto to the hospital immediately after, and Reborn had missed the crucial window. Unfortunately, there was only one person in the house that could have taken him away...and could have hurt him.

"It was mother, wasn't it?" Reborn says, and both Natsuo and Fuyumi step back in shock.

"No...she wouldn't" Fuyumi insists. "She...she loves us."

Shouto hugs his knees.

"She said my left side reminded her of him."

Reborn sucks in his breath, forcing his hands to remain out of fists, continuing to heal.

Dammit. He was supposed to have _time._ Theirmother is supposed to be the one that protects his siblings when he finally leaves. Without her, they have no viable guardian other than Endeavour.

All three of them were strong and powerful adults, but right now they're children. And even if they weren't, Sawada Tsunayoshi might be able to take on a megalomaniac in a fight, but defending himself from a mentally unstable woman, that he cares about?

Shouto will let her destroy him before he lays a hand on her.

Perhaps Reborn will need to add another family member to his hit list before he leaves.

* * *

In the end, Enji takes one look at his youngest's face, goes pale, and drags Rei out of the house. When he comes back, he tells his children their mother is sick, and won't be coming home for a while.

All four of them sleep in the same room that night, and Reborn starts plotting his exit strategy.

* * *

Two years later, Shouto is eight and resentful of Todoroki Enji to a point where he's intentionally sabotaging training sessions by refusing to use his quirk. It means he gets beaten and humiliated by the man, but it drives Enji up the wall. Fuyumi has been in charge of cooking, and given the man food poisoning several times – each time just random enough that the hero can't suspect foul play, while Natsuo apparently struggles to control his quirk and regularly freezes the all the hot water just as Endeavour wants a shower.

Admittedly, it's all small irritants, but it keeps Endeavour enraged and distracted.

The day Reborn chose to reveal his true colours had been selected months ago. The day he received his acceptance letter for UA. The second it was in his hands, he handed his reply to a courier, who set off in the direction of the school, while he hit the shower.

One bottle of black hair dye and a decent amount of styling gel later, his reflection finally feels like him. The result is only heightened when he dresses in the suit he's been hiding for weeks, and the full effect is completed when he picks up the case holding the custom contacts he'd ordered, changing his eyes to the pitch black of a former life.

Admittedly, there is a bit more of his father in his facial features, and he misses his sideburns, but from the expression on his siblings faces when he walks in the door of the living room, it's more than enough.

"Chaos, siblings."

Shouto's eyes go impossibly wide, while Natsuo gives a low whistler.

"Wow, that's a blast from the past" he says, eyes scanning his brother's frame. "If anyone else made it to this world, you're going to give them a heart attack."

Fuyumi cocks her head. "Are you wearing make-up? I can't believe you managed change your appearance that much."

Reborn chuckles. "You'd be amazed at what you can do with an expensive suit and the right hair products.

"Oh, speaking of suits," Shouto starts. "We got you something."

From behind his back, he pulls out a black fedora with an orange ribbon, and Reborn grins as he hands it over. The expression widens when he realises there's something nestled inside, and pulls out the yellow pacifier.

"Now where did get this?" he laughs. "Someone's getting better at arts and crafts."

Fuyumi waves a hand.

"Oh, someone at my school has a creation quirk. They did think it was a little weird, but I gave them a full three months allowance."

"And you're not really 'Reborn' without a pacifier" Shouto says.

Reborn grins, slipping the item over his neck.

"We tried to find you a Leon substitute, but quirk animals are pretty rare" Natsuo adds, and Reborn nods. Wherever Leon ended up, he hopes the chameleon is happy.

Just then, the front door slams open, and the temperature of the entire house rises by 5 degrees.

"TOYA!" Todoroki Enji screams, and Reborn smirks.

"Looks like that's my cue."

His father slams the door open, face on fire.

"Toya!" he yells again. "What is the meaning of this?"

The three younger siblings all flinch, but Reborn keeps on smiling.

"Chaos. The meaning of what, Enji?"

"Don't play dumb, you brat" he howls, thrusting a hand forward, a slightly singed piece of paper gripped tightly in it's grasp. "How dare you refuse your place at UA!"

Shouto's eyes widened, and he stared at his older brother in shock.

"Eh, you can _do_ that Reborn-nii?" he says with mock surprise.

Reborn grins, slipping his hands into the pockets of his suit. "Of course I can. I think we can all agree I am many things, but a hero is not one of them."

He walks towards Enji, who storms forward and grabs him by collar.

"Let me explain something to you, _Reborn_ " Enji growls. "I have tolerated a lot of unacceptable behaviour from you over the years, because your quirk is powerful, and you have never failed any challenge I set you, but you _will_ be attending UA, earning your Hero licence, and become my legacy, or you'll be disowned. Shouto's quirk is even more powerful than yours boy, you are not irreplaceable."

Reborn chuckles. "On that, we agree completely. I have no doubt Shouto will become an amazing force for good one day, but it certainly won't be because of you. And disowning me would be wise, considering I'm about to start my career as a villain."

Enji's hair almost flickers blue with rage.

"What?"

Shouto whimpers at the flat tone, and Natsu and Fuyumi wisely step back. Reborn's smile never wavers.

"In a few years, I'll be known at the Number One Hitman" he announces. "I won't accept anything less."

"This rebellion isn't funny Toya," Enji growls. "You think I'll let you walk out the door after spewing nonsense like that?"

"No" Reborn admits. "But I think executing the No.2 Hero will be an _excellent_ debut."

At which point, he lifts his hand from his pocket, revealing the modified gun, and fires a shot of pure yellow flames straight into Enji's heart.

* * *

It bursts straight through the man's chest, and the hero lets go of his son and sends his own flames shooting towards him. Reborn darts out of the way, and the flames crash into a wall of ice, hastily erected by Shouto the second he heard the shot.

Enji staggers against the doorframe, glaring at his eldest in anger.

"You really think you can win against me with fire?" he mocks, his own quirk half engulfing his chest in an attempt to mitigate the damage. Reborn just gives him a mocking smile.

"Of course not _father_ " he says. "That's why I used _flames_."

Enji frowns in confusion, before his eyes widen, and he gasps. His heart, evolved to handle extreme heat and process boiling blood – stops stone cold in his chest.

He's dead before he hits the ground.

* * *

It says a lot about Todoroki Enji's skill as a father that not even Shouto bats an eye at the corpse in front of them.

"Reborn, could you have made that any more melodramatic?" the boy mutters. "Wouldn't a simple bullet to the head have been just as effective?"

Natsuo, slipping past the half melted barrier, just laughs.

"Oh come on Shouto, it's Reborn" he says. "If anything's worth doing, it's worth doing right."

Reborn grins. The rain has always understood him best.

(and also, despite his thorough researching of quirks, he hadn't been able to full confirm that a normal bullet would kill a man of fire. Besides, using his flames to speed up the man's cellular process to the point where his father's heart would give out from overwork was a sun _classic)._

"Well, with that out of the way, I should be making tracks" Reborn says, nodding at Fuyumi and Natsuo. "Fuyumi, I'm certain you can talk the authorities into leaving you in charge?"

The woman nodded. "Even if I can't, I'm pretty sure I can create a convincing enough illusion of mother to pass inspection. Enji kept her 'condition' very under wraps."

"And if she can't, we'll just track you down" Natsuo laughs.

Shouto is the only one not smiling, and walks over to Reborn with sad eyes.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" he asks. "You're family."

Reborn smiles, and ruffles the hair of his sibling.

"This is for the best Shouto" he insists. "I have never lived by the law, and I see no reason to start now."

"But I don't want you to be a villain" Shouto insists. "What if I have to arrest you someday?"

At that, Reborn laughs, and sweeps the boys feet out from under him.

"Hiieee!"

"Dame-Shouto" Reborn mocks, crouching down by the fallen boy. "You're a hundred years too young to even think about beating me. If we meet on opposite sides, I expect you to come at me with everything you've got. I look forward to the match."

Shouto sighs, but pushes himself up to smile at him.

"Be safe, Reborn-nii" he says. "I know you can take care of yourself but-please be careful."

Reborn offers him a rare smile – the kind only the little sky at his feet and a small handful of other's have ever coaxed out – before standing up and nodding at his other siblings.

"We'll watch out for him" Natsuo promises, crouching down and ruffling Shouto's hair. "But if you ever need a hand-"

"I won't" Reborn insists, and walks out the door. Fuyumi follows him to the entrance.

"Reborn" she says, just before he leaves. "I know, he's probably still alive but, given...things, you're more likely to-"

"If I find Mukuro's reincarnation I'll call, Fuyumi" Reborn promises, grabbing the woman's hands to stop her wringing them. Her shoulders drop, and she gives him a relieved smile.

"We'll call if we find any of the Arcobaleno" she promises. "Or even the other guardians. We at least know Sasagawa and Gokudera should be here _somewhere."_

"If our control group is anything to go by, they've been born to hero's" Reborn offers. "But Gokudera won't be much older than Natsuo right now, and given the lack of hero agencies with the word 'Extreme' in the title, Sasagawa's not graduated yet."

Fuyumi giggles.

"Have a good life 'Toya'" she says. "And...thank you for everything."

"Oh come now, 'Chrome'" Reborn jokes. "The only reason you or Natsuo or even Shouto didn't kill the bastard years ago was for fear of social services."

"Not that" Fuyumi replies. "Thank you for being my brother. We're going to miss you."

Reborn's smile twitches, and his heart twists.

"Goodbye Fuyumi" he says, and turns away, walking into the street.

'I'll miss you all too' lies locked in his throat.

* * *

All things considered, Endeavour's hero agency does an excellent job at covering up the nasty parts of Reborn's crime. Although the funeral is very public, none of the children attend, 'wishing to mourn in private.' As far as he can tell, the Todoroki offspring have wrangled a deal via the PR agencies and authorities. Toya's name will be kept out of the papers in exchange for Reborn's, and they don't badmouth the now dead No.2 in public, and in exchange nobody will look too closely at their family life and lack of guardian. So long as they stay squeaky clean and show no signs of contacting 'Toya,' they'll be left alone with a generous stipend. Shouto has been told hero school will be mandatory as well, but the boy had already been looking at that route anyway.

Reborn will admit, he's relieved it went as well as it did. It's difficult to tell exactly how people will react when you're just starting out, but society doesn't want to know Endeavour was an abusive husband in addition to being a 'shining' example of society, and the Todoroki's will milk that for all it's worth.

It also means he can set out and start re-earning his reputation without having to worry about his family. Between the dye, contacts and the fact that he doesn't use the name Toya, most people don't make the connection. Unfortunately, the new start also means he's starting from scratch – people _suspect_ he killed Endeavour, but he can't really prove it without putting his family at risk. So he has to start with small time jobs. A cheating husband here, a double agent there, the odd missing traitor to drag back, a few information retrievals.

Really, his job is assassination, but at this point he's cheap and needs the contacts, so is safer to spread into mercenary work rather than stick to his niche, especially since his 'quirk' is apparently considered a detriment to his usual style. It's too flashy to be functional.

(Which makes him want to laugh in the face of all these idiots. They underworld is in for a nasty surprise if the Varia reincarnate here).

Regardless, that handicap is the reason he agrees to a meeting in a seedier part of town, with a man called 'Sensei,' who only speaks to him via a screen and and underling composed of nothing but shadows.

"I have a retrieval job for you" Sensei says, as his man hands over a photo. "A young protege of mine who has been...reluctant to hear me out."

Reborn takes in the boy in the photo. Pale, dry skin, messy silver hair and a scowl on his face. Barely in his teens, if that.

"His name is Shimura Tenko" Sensei continues. "Although he may be going by Shigaraki Tomura now. I tried to help him with his...family situation, but he chose to take care of it himself. After several months on the street with his quirk, he might finally be willing to listen to reason."

Reborn's phone 'pings' as the data packet arrives, and he scans through it, one eye on his would-be boss.

"Consider this an interview" Sensei tells him. "I have always have room for people who understand the true reality of the world, especially when they have such useful quirks."

"Why so much effort for this kid?" he asks, curious. He certainly can't seen anything in the bio to suggest why a villain would go to extremes for him. A dangerous quirk certainly, but more so considering the kid is rebellious. Reborn is missing something.

Sensei however, just smiles.

"Let's just say I owe his grandmother a favour."

* * *

In the end, it's the size of the pay check, and the warnings his contacts had given him regarding crossing the mysterious 'Sensei' that makes him take the job. It even ends up taking effort, which at least explains why outside help had been brought in. Considering the boy resembles a walking corpse and can disintegrate anything he grasps with all five fingers, the fact that he's been difficult to track is impressive. Either somebody is helping him, or the young Shimura was very talented at making himself disappear.

However, Reborn did not get his title by allowing himself to be outsmarted by a 12 year old, and eventually hunts the boy down hiding out in an old garage next to a demolition site. Apparently he'd been getting cash in hand from the foreman for using his quirk when nobody's around.

So, when the boy vanishes at night to make extra cash, Reborn slips into his hideout and settles into the upper floor. It's a half loft, covering the first half of the ground floor, giving him a perfect view of the other half, and keeping him hidden by darkness after he disconnects the lights. The building holds a surprisingly clean cot, while the rest of the building is filled with chemicals and empty take out containers.

A few hours later, Shimura returns, and Reborn is pleasantly surprised when his target comes in with his hackles already raised.

"I'll give you one warning" Shimura growls, hugging to the walls, one hand on his bag while the other is up, five fingers bunched together. "This is my territory, and I don't share."

"I appreciate the warning" Reborn replies, raising his gun and adjusting his position. "However, your presence has been requested by my employer."

"Keh, that Sensei bastard right?" Shimura replies. "Well you can tell that fucker I'm not interested!" Shimura snarls. "You think I can't recognise a manipulator when I see one? Whatever he wants from me, he can shove it!"

Shimura has started shuffling underneath the loft, probably trying to grab a handful of belongings before he runs.

"I don't fail jobs, Shimura Tenko" Reborn warns.

"Yeah, well that's not my fucking name!" Tenko snaps.

Reborn raises an eyebrow. "Oh? My client did say he'd suggested you take another name to better express who you are. Shigaraki Tomura?"

His target grimaces. "Like that old bastard gets to name me. The name's Gokudera Hayato, now and forever."

Reborn freezes. Takes another look at the room, filled with explosives.

"...Right hand of the Vongola Tenth?" he says.

"Damn righ-wait, what?"

The teen steps out from underneath, staring at the loft in shock, and Reborn laughs. Because really, what are the odds?

"You know, I believe you are the only one to end up with their original hair colour" he says, walking out of the shadows and jumping to the ground. Gokudera's eyes go impossibly wide when he sees how he's dressed.

"Reborn" he gasps. "Then...!"

He dives to the ground in a bow.

"Take me with you" he begs, tears already starting to form. Please, I can't...I hate being alone here."

Reborn knows the feeling all too well. At least Chrome, Yamamoto and Tsuna had been born in the company of each other. Why Gokudera, a creature that – for all his language and actions – is a terribly social creature, would be left alone, is enough proof that there is no higher power in the world.

"You don't have to be" he tells him. "Yamamoto and Chrome are here, born as my younger siblings" Reborn replies, and when Gokudera looks up in both shock and relief, he follows with, "as was Dame-Tsuna, nine years ago."

Gokudera's face falls.

"The Tenth, he was..."

He shakes away the pain, and gets to his feet.

"Where?"

* * *

That evening, when Natsuo opens the door and takes in a silver haired pre-teen with dry skin and hopeful eyes, he grabs him in a hug and doesn't let go until Shouto makes it to the door.

It takes hours for the tears to stop and for the apologies to finish, but all four of them find themselves entangled on the floor of the living room come morning.

Reborn then chooses to skip out of town and hops on a flight to Italy. Sensei had a strong grasp in Musutafu. If he's going to come back without his target, probably best if he puts a continent or two in between them.

Besides, it's been too long since he's seen his homeland. The mafia might not exist in the manner Reborn remembers, but it'll be interesting to see what's survived.

* * *

With Gokudera ('no Shouto-sama, I refuse to use that man's name') recovered, it shifted the dynamic slightly in the house. If nothing else, Shouto was elated to have his right and left hands reunited, especially since they were close to the same age, and as such meant they were no longer alone when they went to class. It was still lonely for him, but at least his friends were happier.

It also meant that Natsuo felt less guilty about focusing more on sports rather than applying for UA hero division. He'd been on the fence about attending – not really interested in being a hero and more looking at the support aspects. Now that he knew Gokudera would definitely be supporting Shouto's hero career in the future, he could apply for General Education without worrying about his brother.

Unfortunately, while the two had attended UA, the age difference between them meant they'd graduated the year before Shouto would attend, and was facing yet another school without his guardians. Hayato, having been the first in history to somehow attend and pass both the Business and Support department courses at UA, had immediately thrown himself apprenticeships and patenting equipment based on flame-tech, fully planning on having enough capital to set up his own agency with Shouto the second he graduated.

It was good, and he was happy for them. But it did mean another four years of growing up and chasing them before he could stand side by side. It was difficult to make friends when you feel so much older than everyone around you.

As he walks into UA, he finds himself standing outside the class 1A and wishing that for once, he could have some company that _gets_ it.

Then he opens the door and stops dead.

Most of his classmates are huddled round the edges of the room, watching an altercation happening at the front. Several desks have been toppled over, and there's a spiky haired blond being pinned down the floor by another classmate, clearly trying to spew profanity but struggling due to the _tonfa_ currently wedged against his throat.

"Disrespect to other students will not be tolerated" his attacker warns. "Rule breakers will be bitten to death."

"What the fuck crawled up your ass!" the blond howls.

Shouto can only stare in shock.

"...Hibari?"

The dark haired teen has his back to Shouto, but at the greeting, he freezes, head jerking up. Slowly, he rises from his victim – who quickly used the distraction to haul himself out of grabbing distance – and turns to face him.

He's tall, wide shouldered and has a heavy-set face, but Shouto would know those eyes _anywhere._ The fact that the teen is wearing a non-regulation black uniform and carrying tonfa is really just overkill.

Judging from the raised eyebrows the teen is giving him, Hibari's putting the pieces together just as quickly.

"Small animal" he surmises, and grins, sending a chill down Shouto's spine.

"It's uh, it's Todoroki Shouto" Shouto tells him.

Hibari smiles. "Iida Tenya."

' _Oh god'_ Shouto thinks. ' _I take it back. Please take it back...'_

* * *

To Shouto's relief, their teacher arrives not long after that, and Iida has clearly fought him before, because the teen actually takes a seat when the man tells him to. Since Shouto got in on recommendation, he hadn't seen the entry exams in person, but it doesn't surprise him to find out Tenya had become something of a legend, setting a new record for damage caused by one person, and was only overshadowed by a green haired boy in their class who took out a robot with one blow.

He also learns during Aizawa's aptitude test, that Iida managed to set that record without his quirk, because the former prefect keeps forgetting he _has_ it, and dislikes the sound it makes when he does.

(Although to be fair, when you can already move ridiculously fast and treat gravity as if it's optional, why would you bother with engines in your legs?)

Aizawa seems to think this is a problem, given the way he's watching the teen, but Iida consistently lands in the upper end of the tests so he can hardly call him out on it. The green haired boy that everyone's talking about struggles to keep up, and it's not until the ball toss that Shouto learns why.

This kid is willing to break bones in order to keep up. He can't decide if introducing him to Natsuo would be a disaster, or the best idea ever.

Iida, standing next to him during the throw, merely raises an eyebrow.

"Wao. When he learns to control that, I want to fight him."

"Pretty sure you're not meant to fight your classmates, Iida" Shouto replies, though he already knows the teen has catalogued his classmates and teachers in order of battle desirability.

Oh well, at least it'll be good practice for them before going out to take on villains. If they can survive Iida for four years, they'll be powerhouses come graduation.

* * *

"Are the other herbivores here?" Iida asks as they head back to change.

"Oh, um...yes" Shouto replies. "Reborn is a villain, but Chrome, Yamamoto and Gokudera live with me. We haven't found Brother yet, and nobody knows if Mukuro or Lambo are dead."

"They were alive" Iida tells him, which is something of a relief, but not so much considering Hibari couldn't have lived much longer than Tsuna did. "Call them and have them wait at the school entrance at the end of the day."

Shouto's eyes widen.

"Wait...you want all of us here. Together?"

"No" Iida growls.

"Then..."

"Call them, Small Animal" Iida repeats. "Or I'll bite you to death."

Shouto just sighs and grabs his phone when they hit the changing room.

* * *

As requested, when school finishes for the day, his siblings and Gokudera are all waiting at the school gate when Shouto appears. Seconds later, Iida joins them.

"You're crowding" he says.

"Don't give us that!" Gokudera snaps. "You're the one that told us to come here!"

"Not that it's not good to see you Hibari" Fuyumi offers. "But why did you insist on us coming here."

"Because I refuse to let you herbivores set foot in my home" Iida explains.

"...Huh?" Shouto says, and Iida walks off.

"Stay here. I am leaving."

At which point, Iida starts running, and Shouto's eyes widen when he realises the teen is _using his quirk_ to get away as fast as possible.

"Anyone else feel set up?" Fuyumi asks, and they all glance Shouto's way.

"You all know I don't have hyper intuition any more" he moans. "But...I don't think so?"

"But why are we here?" Hayato snaps. "What can that stupid demon get out of bringing us here?"

"Wait, do you hear something?" Natsuo asks, ears twitching.

Shouto frowns. Now that he mentioned it.

"Is that...some kind of engine?"

The answer soon arrives in the form of a hero, clad in some kind of armour, barrelling down the street with smoke billowing from exhausts in his arms. As his approached, his voice started to echo towards them.

"EEEEXXXXXTRREEEEEEEEMMMMME!"

Shouto's jaw dropped.

"Oh fuck no" Gokudera yelped, and Natsuo burst into laughter, just as the hero zoomed past them – and smashed straight into a wall, airbag deploying a split second before impact.

"...Brother" Shouto whispers, feeling his eyes water.

The former Sasagawa Ryohei pulls himself from the wall, and pulled off his helmet, revealing similar features to the younger Iida. His eyes lock on Shouto almost instantly, and he bursts into a grin.

"Sawada" he says. "It is Extremely good to see you. When Tenya said you were here, I Extremely wanted to come earlier, but I couldn't leave my agency."

"You and Hibari, you ended up in the same family too" Shouto says with relief. The hero nods.

"I was born Iida Tensei to the Extreme. Tenya is my little brother."

The hero frowns. "He's a lot less cute than Kyoko, but family is family."

Fuyumi claps a hand on her mouth to hide the giggle, while the others take that information in.

"Wait" Hayato says, grin starting to crawl on his face in realisation. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me, that for the last 16 years, that demon, has only had _you_ for company? As his older _brother_?"

"To the Extreme" Tensei agrees, and Hayato drops to the floor in hysterics.

"Oh god, that's hysterical!" he howls. "And I thought I had it bad!"

Honestly, Shouto just feels bad for the Iida sibling's parents. Ryohei _and_ Kyoya? In the same house? Was it even still standing?

"They're actually very Extreme" Tensei tells them, when the topic comes up. "Heroes run in the family, so Extreme people are common. They're worried about Tenya though, he doesn't like using his quirk, but since he can Extremely beat up everyone in the family they can't really convince him otherwise. Hopefully Aizawa can win him over, to the Extreme."

* * *

They all end up at a nearby cafe, and once Tensei has rid himself of his hero costume, they're able to catch up without people recognising them.

"I honestly thought I was the only one for an Extremely long time" Tensei admits. "It wasn't till Tenya remembered that I learned you could have all come as well, to the extreme."

"Was it lonely?" Shouto asks, and Tensei smiles.

"My parents are Extreme, and I've got Extreme friends. I missed you, but I have to move on, to the Extreme."

They all smile at that.

"I'm glad, Tensei" Shouto says, and the hero grins, looping an arm around his shoulder.

"But I'm equally glad you're all here, to the Extreme" he insists. "I just need Kyoko, and this life is perfect!"

"Well, pretty sure you'll be waiting a long time Turf Top" Gokudera warns. "Since she was nice and safe in Japan last I checked."

"That's just as good, to the Extreme" Tensei argues. "Hana and Haru and Lambo will take care of her."

He frowns.

"Lambo is still Extremely alive, right?"

Everyone glances around, and Shouto shrugs.

"We...think so?" he offers. "Hib...Tenya, was the last to die, and we haven't seen any signs of him or Mukuro, so we're pretty sure they're still okay."

"Does Mukuro even remember _how_ to die?" Gokudera asks. "I mean, how many times has he supposedly gone to hell? What makes you think he'll even come here?"

Fuyumi glares at him, and Natsuo laughs.

"You never know, maybe he and Lambo will go at the same time and they'll be born as twins."

Everyone pauses while that thought processes, and they all shudder.

"I...honestly, I don't know who I'd feel worse for" Shouto admits.

"Their parents" Fuyumi says immediately, and nobody can disagree.

* * *

It's several months before Tensei gets to meet with the last member of the reincarnated Vongola. While his brothers by both blood and bond are supposed to be competing against each other in the sports festival, he's been forced to miss it, chasing after a villain that was killing heroes.

Unfortunately, Ingenium has always been a close range fighter, which is a major disadvantage when fighting Stain. It results in him finding himself paralysed on the ground, trying to force his sun flames into dispelling whatever quirk had him pinned, while the man laughs and moves to finish him off.

But before his sword can even be fully raised, a shot rings out throughout the alley, a bullet piercing the man's skull, and Stain dropped to the ground. Immediately, Tensei can move again, and he uses his quirk to jump back.

"That was extremely good timing" he calls, as his unexpected ally comes into the light, tipping his hat in greeting.

"Chaos, Sasagawa" Reborn greets. "That was foolish of you"

Tensei flushes red as Reborn kneels by Stain's body and checks the pockets for anything of value.

"How did you Extremely know I'd be here?" he asks.

"Gokudera" Reborn explains, finishing his search and standing up. "He noticed the pattern and realised you'd no doubt end up in his sights."

Tensei nods. When he'd learned Gokudera had graduated with such Extreme credentials he'd immediately given him an offer to join his agency. The man had agreed, mostly insisting it was because of the additional funding, but in reality, none of them wanted any of the family going anywhere alone. It's been an amazing boon for the Idaten Agency – his team will be gutted when Shouto graduates and the Storm leaves for his true position.

"Lucky for him I was flying into Japan to support Shouto in his first festival or I wouldn't have gotten here in time" Reborn continues. "Why he let you out alone is beyond me."

His eyes narrow, and Tensei flinches at the killing intent.

"This man has killed several heroes, and you've already died once" the Hitman growls. "If you had been the first again, Shouto would have been _in_ _consol_ _able_."

Tensei ducks his head. "I know to the Extreme. But I can't change who I am."

Reborn sighs, but nodds his head in acceptance as the deadly wave abates.

"True. You have always been too honest for your own good."

He stands and heads back into the alley.

"And at least this means I don't have to get Shouto a birthday present this year. And guarantees that he'd better get me something good."

Sirens are starting to fill the air, and Tensei glances their way.

"You had best vanish, to the Extreme" he warns. "I'll see you at the Todoroki house tonight?"

Reborn grins.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world" he promises.

* * *

In the end, Shouto won the festival by a narrow margin. Although Tenya remains the most terrifyingly dangerous person in a physical fight he knows, the teen dislikes his quirk and doesn't utilise it, while Shouto has mastered both sides of his. Midoriya put up a good fight, but he's limited by how many appendages he can break, and Shouto had been forced to push harder than he'd wanted to in order to get the teen out. It's not wonder the green haired boy is the one Tensei was rooting for. Finally, it had been him vs Bakugo, and while Shouto had been exhausted at that point, fighting Bakugo is like fighting a version of Gokudera that can't do mid-range attacks, and while his former right hand didn't _like_ sparring with him, he'd done it enough times that taking out the explosive teen had been doable without serious injury.

With the medal around his neck, Natsuo had announced that they were having a celebration at the house to celebrate. A motion that was quickly agreed upon by everyone save Tenya, who tried to give the older boy a black eye and then wandered into the stands to help with 'crowding.' Given that Shouto had seen a rather frazzled Aizawa and All Might race after him a few minutes later, he figures that situation is well in hand.

When he finds Reborn waiting to congratulate him with the rest of his family, Shouto honestly doesn't know if he's ever been happier, and all but flies into the man's arms.

"You came back!" he yells.

"Of course Dame-Shouto" Reborn mocks. "You actually gave it your all, without me forcing you at gunpoint. That deserves celebration."

Shouto shudders as his brothers eyes take on a sharp glint.

"And tomorrow, you're going to spar with me, and I'm going to show you _everything you're doing wrong_ " he promises.

The teen's face falls in horror, and Reborn starts laughing.

Some things never change.

* * *

 **EXTRA**

That night, most of his family has passed out from celebrating his victory and Tensei's near-death-survival (and wow, how is he supposed to top the gift of 'saving Guardians life' Reborn?) when Shouto hears a knock at the door.

Nobody appears to be there – until he opens it and finds a young girl standing in the doorway in a ragged dress covered in a bizarre red pattern. Her hair is silver, and there's a horn on the side of her head.

"Um, hello" he greets. "Are you lost?"

The girl smiles, and raises a hand to wave. Shouto pales when he registers the blood, and realises the red pattern _isn't_ a design.

He's about to raise the alarm, when the girl laughs.

"Kufufufufu. Actually, Sawada Tsunayoshi" she says. "I believe I have been found. Congratulations on your victory at the sports festival. It made it so much easier to find you."

Shouto stares in shock.

"Mukuro?"

His guest just smiles, and Shouto keeps staring.

"Wha...what happened?"

The girl shrugs.

"Turns out, even reincarnated into a world with almost no crime, I _still_ wind up in the mafia family that experiments on children. Really, what **are** the odds?"

Shouto winces.

"Goddammit...okay, should I be asking Reborn to get rid of a crime scene right now?"

"I'd rather you didn't" Mukuro replies. "It was some of my best work. Truly, it will make the career of the man who takes the photos for the police case."

Oh, how wonderful for him. Shouto then takes in the dress and long hair.

"So...is that your actual body or-"

"Yes" Mukuro admits, picking at the hem of the dress. "Bodysnatching is a bit beyond my means right now. My quirk doesn't work well with it. I admit the gender was a bit of a surprise, but nothing I can't work around. My name is Eri, please take good care of me."

She bows with a far-too large smile, as Shouto sags in the doorway. However, he grins back as his other mist straightens and walks inside.

"Fuyumi is going to be so happy to see you" he says.

"Fuyumi" Eri repeats, testing the name on his tongue. "It suits her. What about the rest of your herd?"

"Everyone's here but Lambo" Shouto replies. "Reborn, Chrome and Yamamoto are my older siblings."

"Ohhhh, I wondered about that assassination" Eri says in understanding. "It didn't feel like your style, but if the Arcobaleno is here-"

"He's trying to recreate the title of World's Greatest Hitman" Shouto admits. "But he found Gokudera and sent him here too."

"What about the prefect and the hyperactive boxer?"

"Brother's a pro hero, and I'm in the same class as Tenya" Shouto says. "They're siblings."

Eri snickers. "Kufufufu, that's _beautiful_. Their parents must be either insane or actual saints."

"And...Lambo?" Shouto asks, relieved when Eri shrugs her shoulders.

"The brat was still alive and kicking last I checked" she says. "Doubt you'll see him for quite some time."

Shouto smiles.

"Good. That's...that's good."

He doesn't want to see Lambo for a very long time. His Guardians had all died when they were in their twenties, but Lambo is barely a teenager. He shouldn't have to start another life when he's not even finished growing into his first.

And he's right. Fuyumi is _elated_ to welcome Eri into the family.


End file.
